Downtown Master Plan

Cities are recognizing the roles that downtowns can play in improving quality of life, assisting workforce recruitment, supporting broader regional economic development, enabling the provision of housing choice, and creating a focus of civic pride.

Vision

Downtown Huntsville is an active, vibrant and unique destination for both local residents and out-of-town visitors.

Downtown Huntsville has grown significantly as an employment center and residential district.

Summary

A healthy and economically viable core is extremely important to the growth of the community around it. Downtowns serve as activity centers, employment hubs, public gathering spaces, and representations of civic identity. Increasingly, cities are recognizing the roles their respective downtowns can play in improving quality of life, assisting workforce recruitment, supporting broader regional economic development, enabling the provision of housing choice, and creating a focus of civic pride.

To realize an effective strategy for growing a Downtown, a master plan must be created and maintained. Frequent updates (every five to ten years) are important to acknowledge and respond to shifts in market and changes in development patterns. By keeping frequent updates, the master plan can focus on near-term, achievable projects that will have a real impact on how the core evolves. At its heart, the plan should look for ways to leverage public investments and efforts into larger private-sector projects that can have a transformative effect on the downtown.

Huntsville’s new downtown master plan proposes a five-year development strategy to provide a mix of residential, retail, office and entertainment uses. The plan further addresses greater pedestrian and cycling options, traffic calming, two-way streets, parking and public transit, streetscaping, size and scale of future development, connectivity with the Von Braun Center, and the location and concept for a new City Hall… Read more on the City of Huntsville’s website.

Coordinate planning with the VBC to improve and add to pedestrian connections with the surrounding street network.

This action has not been completed.

Work with City Departments and DHI to identify and prioritize new streetscape projects to improve the pedestrian environment throughout the core.

This action has been completed.

Pilot a bicycle infrastructure improvement within the Downtown, as a proof-of-concept project.

This action has not been completed.

Identify, prioritize and fund public parking decks to support the redevelopment of low-density site and surface parking. Ensure design supports ground floor commercial uses, as well as future adaptive reuse of the upper levels.

This action has not been completed.

Work with Downtown property owners and business to craft an update to the Downtown zoning classification, focusing on street-level design, massing, and aesthetics.